RUBBER SOUL

For my 1st Beatles album review I chose Rubber Soul. The simple reason is that it is probably my favorite Beatle album. It's a very close call between this and Revolver, but I have to give the edge to RS. This is definitely a 5 star album for me; this is the Beatles at their best.

I think the reason that Rubber Soul gets top billing is that a lot of it is played acoustically. I really enjoy acoustic and folk music (besides prog of course), and that element is what sets RS apart from their other albums. The cliche that you can tell how good a song is by hearing it played on acoustic instruments has never been more true than it is here, So, let's discuss the more acoustic tracks. Norwegian Wood, at barely more than two minutes, is just beautiful. The lyrics are deceptively simple, but they show how far Lennon had progressed in 5 years or less. Michelle is a moving love song; one of McCartney's best.

I'm Looking Through You takes a common situation - when the person you love has changed into someone you don't recognize - and describes it brilliantly. Nowhere Man breaks my heart - It's an unfortunately accurate description of my wife's best friend. Lastly, In My Life shows a level of insight and inspiration that McCartney wouldn't have exhibited at the beginning of The Beatles' career.

If I described every song on this album this review would never end, so I will wrap it up. As stated by other reviewers, this is the album where the band's Middle Eastern influences and sonic experimentation first became apparent. For me, some of The Beatles' later material is too "psychedelic" for its own good. On Rubber Soul, the band has written more brilliantly than at any other point in their career. Songwriting is ultimately what matters most, and that's what makes Rubber Soul a 5-star album.

P.S. In my first posting of this review, I credited In My Life to Paul McCartney instead of John Lennon. My bad.- blame it on lack of sleep!